HI3: I Don't Want to Be a Valkyrie

Is this the labyrinth where the fairies reside?

Theresa, carrying Judah on her back and wielding the short sword formed from the Blood Embrace, gazed upon the labyrinth before her.

After completing her transaction with Milim using Rimuru's specially made honey, Theresa bid farewell to Rimuru and its companions.

Her tasks near Rimuru had all been accomplished.

Whether it was the bounty reward for assisting the Demon Lord Kingdom or the blood of Demon Lord Milim, Theresa now possessed both. She had indeed taken only a small sip of Milim's blood.

And then... Theresa sold Rimuru out. She informed Milim that Rimuru could produce honey and essentially threw Milim to Rimuru, leaving them to figure out their arrangement on their own.

-

With her tasks near Rimuru completed, staying by its side any longer held no purpose. Instead, it would be more productive to tackle quests independently.

Thus, Theresa departed from the city of monsters and prepared to complete her bounty mission [Demon Lord's Blood] and the main quest.

For the [Demon Lord's Blood] bounty, Theresa had already obtained two samples, needing just one more to fulfill the quest. She had her sights set on that final target:

The newly ascended Demon Lords. Theresa was confident in her ability to take it down...

Her confidence stemmed from a powerful weapon in her arsenal.

It was the Divine Key, capable of immense destruction. A single strike could slay even the most formidable Arbiter, though each use came at the cost of Theresa's own life.

However, she was willing to risk death once or twice for the greater gain.

Before confronting the ultimate target, Theresa decided to warm up by bullying the currently weakest among the Demon Lords—the one within the labyrinth before her.

Like Milim, this entity was one of the Three Ancient Demon Lords and also part of the Ten Great Demon Lords: the Fairy of the Labyrinth, the Fairy Queen Ramiris.

Though her titles sounded formidable, at present, she was relatively weak—a perfect starting point for Theresa's quest.

Fully armed, Theresa charged straight into the labyrinth.

An hour passed.

"Ramiris, you homebody, you coward... I dare you to come out and face the universe's most adorable, Theresa, in a death match!

"Always hiding in your labyrinth! And calling yourself a demon lord? No demon lord is as spineless as you!"

Lost, Theresa set down Oath of Judah and straddled it, firing a barrage of insults. Unlike Rimuru, she lacked radar to guide her, leaving her completely disoriented.

After waiting for some time, there was no response from Fairy Queen Ramiris—it was history.

This astonished Theresa; even her taunts failed to elicit a reaction. Was this little demon lord's temper really that good? That can't be right!

"Ramiris, if you don't show up right now, I'll demolish your labyrinth. 3... 2... 1... Ultimate Move... Feast for the Dead!"

Theresa placed both Oath of Judahs in front of her, then picked up Blood Embrace, transforming it into a Fallen Axe, and slammed it straight ahead.

A tremor shook everything, from mountains to earth.

Duchess Theresa, shielded by Oath of Judah, felt only a slight discomfort amidst all the chaos.

Once things settled down, she reclaimed Oath of Judah to find that everything before her lay reduced to rubble.

"Ahhh! What have you done?" Suddenly, a voice cried out, and several specks of light appeared, one of which—a golden speck—materialized into a fairy the size of a palm.

The fairy gazed at the ruins Theresa had wrought, madly tearing at her hair. In the blink of an eye, what madness had befallen?

"Ramiris, now you've finally shown up! Come forth and duel with Theresa!" The diminutive demon before her lit up in recognition—though no larger than a hand, she embodied the full-throated might of a dauntless warrior.

"Du... duel? You must be mistaken," Ramiris replied hastily, her eyes flitting over the devastation once more. This destruction rivals even the great demon lord's. "I'm not Ramiris. Please, leave at once."

She knew well that even her most formidable demonic puppet would be no match for this adversary.

"I know who you are! It's me, Theresa! Fight me already! If you're too scared to face me, just admit defeat and I'll depart right away." There was no mistaking the conviction in her voice.

Wait, is that all you're here for? Ramiris sputtered inwardly. How can you be unaware I've just been reincarnated? Yes, I've inherited my past memories, but my strength hasn't returned yet!

As a Demon Lord, Ramiris experienced an endless cycle of rebirth and growth. Unlike others of their kind, her unique privilege stemmed from inheriting both the self and memories of her previous life—an exclusive right among the Demon Lord lineage.

Before reaching full maturity, her power could be considered very weak.

In this aspect, she was similar to Milim and Chuunii Tempest Dragon. However, being of dragon lineage, after death, they would reappear with a time interval, but as a different individual, devoid of their previous self and memories.

Originally, Ramiris wasn't even a Demon Lord; it was her interference in the battle between Milim and Guy that led to her downfall and transformation into the Demon Lord.

"Are we going to fight or not? If you're not, then admit defeat, and I'll leave right away." Theresa approached Ramiris first because she knew the latter's current strength was minimal.

Since her goal was to complete tasks efficiently, tackling the weakest opponent made the most sense.

"No, no need for that. I admit defeat, alright? Now, please be on your way."

"Uh..."

As soon as Ramiris conceded, the main quest progress increased slightly. Although her objective was met, Theresa didn't immediately depart.

"What is it?"

"Do fairies have blood?" Theresa asked curiously.

"N... No, now just hurry up and leave!"

"That's too bad."

If they had blood, I could've completed the bounty quest too.

-

"Inky!"

Having escaped the fairy's maze, Theresa immediately summoned the nearby black dragon.

"My lady."

Responding to Theresa's call, the black dragon swiftly flew before her. Compared to several months ago, the dragon had grown significantly stronger, now possessing the power to engage with a Demon King seed in battle.

"Let's go. Our next destination is the Beast Kingdom."

One must always choose the softest target first; their next goal was Carrion.

Demon King Carrion, also known as the Lion King, ruled over the Beast Kingdom of Eurazania and commanded the warrior faction of the beast race. Born a mere five hundred years ago, he was considered a new generation Demon King.

Due to having a kingdom, his renown and recognition were high.

However, among Demon Kings, he was far from formidable!

With a generous and unconstrained personality, in moments of extreme power eruption, he could unleash a ultimate move on par with an Awakened Demon King. But such instances were rare.

He was regarded as the most powerful among the new generation of Demon Kings, yet still considered insignificant in the grand scheme.

Of course, compared to the current Rimuru, Carrion was still quite strong.

"Yes, master," replied the black dragon immediately upon hearing Theresa's command. By this point, the black dragon had developed an unwavering belief in Theresa's power, as long as she wasn't confronting an Awakened Demon Lord.

In such a case, it wouldn't be much of an issue at all.